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Showing posts from 2018

The 411 On Cold, Flu, & Food Borne Illnesses In Your Restaurant

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Cold and flu season is officially here, and it isn’t going anywhere for several weeks at least. In fact, according to the CDC, the highest flu activity peaks between December and February, while the activity can last as late as May. In the restaurant industry, it’s imperative that all employees understand the importance of healthy habits, but also to know when to go home and keep their germs to themselves. Fast Fix LLC has a few tips to keep in mind as you navigate the cold and flu season. Provide a Hand Washing Refresher Course If your employees have dirty and unwashed hands, they are spreading those germs to the food and drinks that they touch. What’s worse, these germs can also multiply in certain foods or drinks under favorable conditions – which then makes other people sick. Make sure that your employees know the value and practice of washing their hands. Proper hand washing requires scrubbing, rinsing, and complete drying of hands. It takes just 20 seconds to demonstrate

A FAST Look At Our Services

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Fast Fix LLC provides decades and decades of combined experience in service, repair, and installation of appliances in restaurants around the Missouri area . We know a thing or two about your equipment, and that’s an understatement! Our appliance technicians in Missouri can repair most everything in a commercial kitchen, and we love getting you back up and running. Here is a FAST introduction to the types of appliances that we work with, as well as some instances where you need to call us. If You See These Signs - CALL US! Refrigerators (Reach-in or walk-in) - Gaskets aren’t sealing - Temperature fluctuates - Puddles forming on the inside or outside Freezers (Reach-in or walk-in) - Losing its chill - Overfreezing food - Strange noises - Frost buildup - The freezer doesn’t run (obviously, call us!) Ice Machines - Low water flow - Water leaking into the machine - Ice not freezing completely - Machine shut down due to water temperature being too warm Prep Tables

Tips for Serving Large Holiday Groups

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As the holidays are in full swing (with less than two weeks until Christmas!) you’ll probably be noticing more groups than usual, and some may be quite large. This can put a strain on your staff, from top to bottom, and it can definitely cause more wear and tear on your equipment. As your local equipment repair company in Mid-Missouri , we have some tips to help your staff adjust to the added effort and how WE can help with your equipment. Keep It Simple Obviously one of the first signs from large groups is that there are a LOT more orders. With that, you may find that the ordering process can become tedious. Make sure that your servers are able to perform their jobs both quickly and accurately. Some restaurant POS systems provide shortcuts for the paying process with large groups, so it’s important to know how your equipment works. The better you know how to work the equipment, the better your entire staff will operate - from the servers to the kitchen staff. Communication i

5 Things to Remember for Food Service Safety Month

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If you haven’t heard yet, December is Food Service Safety Month - and what a great month to observe this. Eating out has become a popular way of living, so whether you own a fast food restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri  or 5-star dining at the Lake of the Ozarks , there’s no time like the present to up your food service safety game. Here are five things your Missouri restaurant can do to improve the food service safety, and how Fast Fix LLC can be there with you when you need us. 1. Begin Rotating Food This isn’t just a cool method for organizing food, this is a way to comply with the FDA Food Code. You need to implement the Food Rotation Program so that you can be sure that food is thrown out once it reaches the use-by date. This is one really great way to help reduce your chances of serving food that is past its prime. You start by enabling an adequate labeling system or tracking program. Just be sure that your method meets Federal guidelines: The prepared foods must be c

Cleaning Your Commercial Fryer

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It should come as no surprise to you that your fryers can get really dirty, really fast. Because of this, it’s important to include regular maintenance into your routine. This is for the benefit of maintenance, food quality, public health, and even kitchen safety. When working with fryers, you’re not playing with fire, but you basically are. Hot oil can cause serious burns if not properly used, and if your fryer isn’t clean, it’s easier for things to catch fire and cause bigger issues. There is some debate about how often a boil-out should be performed, but we’re going to give you some details and let you make up your own mind. Daily Cleaning Routine for Your Fryer If you perform daily cleaning, you will find that other deep cleaning can be a little less frequent. Do you have to move your fryer to clean it? Start by disconnecting the power, and if it’s a gas fryer, close the gas supply inlet and turn off the pilot light. Always wait for any oil inside to cool completely before m

The Food Facts About Thanksgiving Day

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Thanksgiving is widely celebrated, and whether you have a huge feast at home with your family, or everyone dines out at their favorite restaurant - a LOT of food is consumed. We hope that your St. Louis restaurant stays busy and has a great holiday, but in the meantime, here are some crazy facts about the food that will be consumed this Thanksgiving holiday! Thanksgiving Food Statistics About 50 million pumpkin pies are consumed each Thanksgiving! Make them stand out by using sugar cookie dough or thin slices of cinnamon roll dough for the crust! The average person consumes an average of 3,000 calories at Thanksgiving. If you’ve ever wondered which food has the most calories - wonder no more. It’s the beloved pecan pie. Americans consume 736 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving Day alone. In case you were wondering, that’s about the weight of the Empire State Building. If you’ve always thought that it was tryptophan in the turkey that mad you tired at Thanksgiving, thi

Clean Out Your Refrigerator!

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While we’re sure that you understand the importance of cleaning a commercial refrigerator, it’s still nice to have a little reminder. It doesn’t take long for a restaurant fridge to get messy and filled with items that need to be used or tossed. November 15th is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day , and we think it’s the perfect reminder for busy restaurant owners in the St. Louis area . Here are a few things you can do to get your fridge back to its sparkling clean state. Steps for Cleaning and Organizing Your Fridge This chore may seem daunting, especially if you’ve put it off, but before the holidays hit is the perfect time to get started. Check out these steps for cleaning out your walk-in fridge. 1. Unplug the Units This is a pretty obvious first step, but you don’t want to risk electrocution. Start by unplugging the fridge and freezer. If you’re delegating this job to someone else, make sure they realize the importance of unplugging the units. This helps prevent work-relat

Prepare Your Restaurant for the Holiday Rush

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It’s a Deck the Halls and Holly Jolly Christmas type of season! Missouri got it’s first snow last night, and people are going to start getting in the holiday mood. That means one thing for restaurants - the holiday rush. This can be great for your business, but big growth also comes with some growing pains. If you aren’t ready for the holiday season, Fast Fix LLC is here for you! You commercial appliance repairmen in Missouri know how busy you’re going to get, and we’re here to keep your operation running smoothly. Do You Have Enough Help? When things get busy in the kitchen, it can be helpful to have enough staff to keep up with production. Not only can the right number of staff help improve satisfaction from your customers, but it also can help keep your Missouri kitchen appliances in better working order. Cleaning and maintenance don’t fall by the wayside if there are enough people to keep up with them. Take some time to evaluate your staffing for the next few weeks, and

Tips for a New Restaurant Owners

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Starting a restaurant in St. Louis can feel intimidating, but don’t worry. With passion and some effort, you’ll do great. We’ve seen many restaurant in this area, not just in St. Louis, but also across Mid-Missouri and Eastern Illinois. We may not know how to run a restaurant, but we know how to run a business … and, as your commercial kitchen repairmen in St. Louis , we’ve been around the restaurant block a time or two. Here are a few things we’ve noticed that can really make an impact on your restaurant as you are just getting started. Start Promoting It’s important to get a head start on promoting your restaurant. If you aren’t tech savvy, you can find someone to do it for you! Get a website, make sure it looks professional and that it has all of the important details. You’ll want to include your menu on there as well. People in the area are going to first and foremost want to know what you’ll be serving. After your website is up, it’s time to start promoting your restaurant